Today, the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) commented on President Obama’s “bus tour” through the Midwest, which includes two stops in Illinois and several others in Minnesota and Iowa.

The statement highlights a growing concern among American businesses and associations about federal regulations that could stifle U.S. manufacturing and hinder America’s economic recovery.

Specifically, ACC and its state partners believe EPA’s proposed final rule on ground-level ozone would deal a significant blow to America’s economic recovery and job creation.

As the statement below mentions, America’s chemistry industry is on the verge of adding hundreds of thousands of new U.S. jobs, thanks to abundant supplies of domestic shale gas, but EPA’s proposed ozone standard could bring that expansion to a screeching halt.

We need your help in asking President Obama to return his attention to this critical issue. Please fax a letter to White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley (202-456-2461) to ask that the White House stop EPA from implementing a new, unnecessary ozone standard.

“President Obama’s bus tour fails to address one of the most significant obstacles to job creation and economic growth – federal regulations that make it more difficult for American manufacturers to expand, invest and hire in the United States.

“For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to impose new, unnecessary ozone standards soon that could put a stop to new manufacturing plants and expansions, construction, and the jobs they would support in nearly every county in the country.

“America’s chemical manufacturers are poised to help create up to 400,000 U.S. jobs, thanks to the promise of domestic shale gas. Thousands of those jobs could be in Illinois, but EPA’s plan to aggressively reduce ozone standards would render 19 Illinois counties off-limits to new manufacturing (see www.brt.org/ozonemap). Nationally, the Manufacturers Alliance estimated that the proposal could cost up to 7.3 million jobs by 2020.

“The ability of America’s chemistry industry, and the many industries that rely on us, to innovate, compete, and create jobs is directly related to whether the nation strikes the right balance in government regulation. At a time when the nation is wrestling with a 9.2 percent unemployment rate, President Obama should keep the EPA in check and choose to keep America open for business.”

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“The Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) represents 115 companies, employing 47,000 people at average wage of $81,400. Illinois’ chemical industry is the third largest manufacturing sector in the state. Illinois is the fourth largest chemical producing state in the nation.”